William Reddie

TO THE EDITOR' OF THE AGE.

Sir,— It gave me great pleasure to hear the name of my teacher of years ago, Mr Finley, who taught the children at Mt. Pleasant In 1857. I knew Mr. Finley In Scotland, when he used to sell skates, and in the long town of Kirkcaldy, I often went to his shop, just over the road from our place. There was a dam which we called the Mill Dam; the people used to skate on it. He left before us and came to Australia. I never got my skates. I do not remember if they had wheels like those I see here. That Is nearly 80 years ago, Strange to say, when our family landed we came to Sebastopol. We were sent to school, three of us— my sister, two years older, and brother, two years younger, I am the only Scot left. Strange to say, we were sent to school, and Mr Finley was our teacher. He still remembers about the skates. I think we were about twelve months there. Then we came to the foot of Mt. Buninyong. We attended a children's school, our teacher was a Miss Bock, who married Mr. Hale, secretary to Buninyong shire council. Then we went into Buninyong township, three miles to school. That was of short duration, for I had to go to work, and have worked hard ever since. — Yours, &c„

WILLIAM REDDIE. South Melbourne